StrangeRabbit
New member
I've had my Golden Dwarf Moray for about 3 months now and he is my absolute favorite fish. I wanted to share my experiences with it so far and I want to hear all about yours as well!!
What I want to know is: Temperament, personality, if its shy or not, what you feed, how often you feed, how many you have or had, what tank mates you have, if it's eaten any tank mates, issues or bad experiences with your eel and any general advice or info to share. Pictures of your GDMs are also encouraged! I'm very interested to see what people have to say so ramble away
To start off, a little about the setup:
Tank:
Mixed reef.
Marineland 60 gallon rimless cube with glass top and corner overflow.
65 pounds live rock (started off dry).
1.5 inch sandbed.
Kessil A360 Wide lens with Spectrum Controller.
2 x Hydor Koralia Evolution - 4400 Model (1050 GHP).
Sump:
25 gallon custom cube sump (glass) with 3 chambers.
Chamber 1:
Recently stopped running filter socks.
Eshopps S-120 Skimmer.
300 watt Aqueon Pro heater.
Chamber 2 - Refugium:
Fluval Aqualife & Plant LED light.
15 - 20 pounds live rock rubble that seeded the DT dry rock.
10 red mangroves.
Chaeto.
Chamber 3:
Rio 2100 return pump.
Chemi pure blue.
1L Seachem denitrate in media bags.
Current Live Stock:
CUC:
6 Nassarius Snails.
10 Turbo Snails.
12 Margarita Snails.
5 Cerith Snails.
8 Blue Leg Hermits.
Inverts:
1 Cleaner Shrimp.
1 Fire Shrimp.
1 Tiger Pistol Shrimp.
Sand Sifting Starfish.
Rose Bubble Tip Anemone
Fish:
Sailfin Tang.
Blue Hippo Tang.
2 Ocellaris Clowns.
Sixline Wrasse.
Midas Blenny.
Yellow Watchman Goby
Yasha Goby.
and of course the eel!
Assorted Corals: Zoas, Plate coral, Torch, Blastos, Green Trumpets, GSP, and some SPS.
Parameters:
Salinity - 1.025
Ammonia/Nitrites - 0
Nitrates - 5ppm (Don't let them get higher than 7ppm)
KH - 10
PH - 8.3
Calcium - 460
Don't have tests for phosphates or magnesium yet.
Temp - 75.5 F
5-10 gallon weekly water changes (depending on nitrates).
About the tangs.. I know the tank is too small to accommodate them but they are still really small about 2-2.5 inches. I will re-home them once I feel they are starting to outgrow the tank so no need to crucify me =)
So on to the headliner. After doing some research, I chose to get a GDM because they are the most reef safe eel and I was attracted to their small size. I finally found a local seller who had one for the awesome price of $150. I couldn't pass it up so I drove my happy *** down there, excited to get my first marine serpent.
Upon arriving, he told me the eel kept swimming up into the HOB filter and the stubborn thing refused to ever come out. Eventually, he let it stay there after getting a nasty bite during an attempt to get it back into the tank. Their reputation for being escape artists started to become obvious.
The two of us started to dig the eel out with small fish nets. For about 30 minutes, we kept getting splashed and nearly bitten trying to scoop him out. Feeling defeated, he finally took the filter off the tank and dumped the water into a bucket. Thats when I got my first glimpse of him.
I was pleasantly surprised at how tiny he was, no thicker than a pen and about 7 inches. He immediately started lifting his body out of the water, stretching as high as he could desperately looking for an escape route. After multiple attempts, we managed to get him into a bag and I could finally take him home.
Ohh this eel rodeo was far from over... After floating the bag I dumped him and the water into a tupperware container for drip acclimating. I covered the top with a piece of acrylic to prevent him from escaping. Within moments, he started lunging towards the top, smashing his nose against the cover trying to escape. I could not believe how badly this thing wanted out, it felt like I was containing a ****ed off gremlin, minus the fur. Once acclimated, I had to dump him in a deep cooking strainer, covering it with the acrylic and finally, plopping him into the tank.
I was told that these eels usually don't eat within the first few days, sometimes weeks, when introduced to a new tank. On day 2, I offered him some krill on a feeder stick to see what would happen. He instantly took the food which was not what I was expecting but nonetheless, was relieved.
Within the first week everything was going great. He never bothered any of his tank mates and would even let the cleaner shrimp pick in his mouth for scraps after feedings. On the other hand, the fire shrimp will literally try to rip food out of his mouth as he's scarfing it down.
Around week 2 I came home one day and checked up on the tank. I couldn't find the eel anywhere. I looked in the overflow but nothing. I started looking on the floor and even under the tank stand, worried that I might find dried eel jerky but still nothing. Then I checked the sump and after a few minutes I found him..... poking out of the rock rubble... He managed to get into the over flow, swim down the pvc pipe into the filter sock, then crawl out of the filter sock and into the fuge. Absolutely relentless little creature...
Getting him out from the rock rubble was an absolute nightmare.... as you can imagine. lesson learned and I decided to cover the pvc openings with that mesh thing that comes with the veggie clips for nori. It's basically a mini version of chicken wire thats coated with plastic. The holes are large enough to let bigger debris flow through but small enough to prevent the eel from slipping through. Works like a charm. I also covered the gaps along the glass top with masking tape and poked smalls holes in it to help with gas exchange. It looks ugly but until I can find a more aesthetically pleasing solution, this will have to do. At this point I didn't want to take any chances. If you're thinking about getting a GDM, I strongly advise you make your tank escape proof before getting one. If theres a way out, they WILL find it! Wouldn't want your dog or cat eating gourmet sushi...
So onto feedings. I try to feed every 2 - 3 days. He gets a majority of krill and I'll throw in some silversides, raw shrimp pieces, or clam once or twice a week to mix it up. He'll indicate when he's hungry by starting to "hunt". He'll move about the tank, in and out of the rock looking to snack on something. Thats when I'll feed him until I feel he's had enough. Then he retreats to his favorite hole where he sticks his head out of the rock and sort of hangs out all day, until he gets hungry again.
For the most part he's left his tank mates alone. I had a purple firefish before getting the eel but it disappeared a week after he was in the tank. The firefish rarely came out of his hole and when I feed the fish, he would never go for the food. Maybe he starved, maybe the eel got him... regardless he hasn't been troublesome since introducing him, at least to my observation.
Then, about a week ago, I purchased 2 Sally lightfoot crabs. After placing them in the tank, I observed my new additions like any happy reefer would. Not a whole five minutes later, I notice the eel started "stalking" a crab. This was happening front and center in the tank, I felt like I was watching Animal Planet but in real life and without the annoying commercials.To my amazement, the eel actually snatched it and started shaking violently. Almost instantly, nassarius snails start popping out of the sand to scavenge any broken off crab legs from the thrashing. It was the first time I've seen it kill anything in the tank. I wasn't even mad though (well, maybe a little) because it was amazing to observe. The next day, the other Sally crab was gone. 2 days, later my coral banded shrimp disappears. Then, my peppermint shrimp and then 1 of my 2 cleaner shrimp.
I haven't fed him since he started chowing my tank inhabitants because I knew he'd probably be full from all the slaughtering anyway. Big mistake. Today, I woke up and saw my midas blenny with a giant bite mark by its tail. Luckily, nothing was bitten off but it still looks really bad. Poor blenny.. He's still swimming like he normally would so hopefully he'll make it through and heal up.
After the midas discovery, I decided to feed him some silversides as he was obviously hungry. The instant the first piece hit the water, the eel comes springing out of his hole with a vengeance, wolverine style. I've never seen him attack the feeding stick so hard and so fast and the first few strikes he actually missed before he landed the bite. I'm going to up his feedings to hopefully curb his hunger for my tank inhabitants. Do any of you experience increased aggression with age in your GDM or when you forget to feed yours?
Despite some of his less desirable tendencies, he is still my favorite fish. I love seeing him stick his head out of the rock with that menacing but at the same time adorable gaping mouth. They kinda look like they just told you a bad joke and are waiting for you to laugh.
For the most part he is always visible in the tank. He is far from shy and sometimes will swim out in the open, then recede to a different hole and hang out for a bit before moving around again. I actually want another one as I've read they do well in pairs. If any of you GDM owners have more than 1 in the same tank, let me know how its going!
My experience so far has been very interesting. I've read people having similar experiences with theirs and others with completely different ones. It really does come down to the individual. Do share and spare no details =)
Happy Reefing!
What I want to know is: Temperament, personality, if its shy or not, what you feed, how often you feed, how many you have or had, what tank mates you have, if it's eaten any tank mates, issues or bad experiences with your eel and any general advice or info to share. Pictures of your GDMs are also encouraged! I'm very interested to see what people have to say so ramble away
To start off, a little about the setup:
Tank:
Mixed reef.
Marineland 60 gallon rimless cube with glass top and corner overflow.
65 pounds live rock (started off dry).
1.5 inch sandbed.
Kessil A360 Wide lens with Spectrum Controller.
2 x Hydor Koralia Evolution - 4400 Model (1050 GHP).
Sump:
25 gallon custom cube sump (glass) with 3 chambers.
Chamber 1:
Recently stopped running filter socks.
Eshopps S-120 Skimmer.
300 watt Aqueon Pro heater.
Chamber 2 - Refugium:
Fluval Aqualife & Plant LED light.
15 - 20 pounds live rock rubble that seeded the DT dry rock.
10 red mangroves.
Chaeto.
Chamber 3:
Rio 2100 return pump.
Chemi pure blue.
1L Seachem denitrate in media bags.
Current Live Stock:
CUC:
6 Nassarius Snails.
10 Turbo Snails.
12 Margarita Snails.
5 Cerith Snails.
8 Blue Leg Hermits.
Inverts:
1 Cleaner Shrimp.
1 Fire Shrimp.
1 Tiger Pistol Shrimp.
Sand Sifting Starfish.
Rose Bubble Tip Anemone
Fish:
Sailfin Tang.
Blue Hippo Tang.
2 Ocellaris Clowns.
Sixline Wrasse.
Midas Blenny.
Yellow Watchman Goby
Yasha Goby.
and of course the eel!
Assorted Corals: Zoas, Plate coral, Torch, Blastos, Green Trumpets, GSP, and some SPS.
Parameters:
Salinity - 1.025
Ammonia/Nitrites - 0
Nitrates - 5ppm (Don't let them get higher than 7ppm)
KH - 10
PH - 8.3
Calcium - 460
Don't have tests for phosphates or magnesium yet.
Temp - 75.5 F
5-10 gallon weekly water changes (depending on nitrates).
About the tangs.. I know the tank is too small to accommodate them but they are still really small about 2-2.5 inches. I will re-home them once I feel they are starting to outgrow the tank so no need to crucify me =)
So on to the headliner. After doing some research, I chose to get a GDM because they are the most reef safe eel and I was attracted to their small size. I finally found a local seller who had one for the awesome price of $150. I couldn't pass it up so I drove my happy *** down there, excited to get my first marine serpent.
Upon arriving, he told me the eel kept swimming up into the HOB filter and the stubborn thing refused to ever come out. Eventually, he let it stay there after getting a nasty bite during an attempt to get it back into the tank. Their reputation for being escape artists started to become obvious.
The two of us started to dig the eel out with small fish nets. For about 30 minutes, we kept getting splashed and nearly bitten trying to scoop him out. Feeling defeated, he finally took the filter off the tank and dumped the water into a bucket. Thats when I got my first glimpse of him.
I was pleasantly surprised at how tiny he was, no thicker than a pen and about 7 inches. He immediately started lifting his body out of the water, stretching as high as he could desperately looking for an escape route. After multiple attempts, we managed to get him into a bag and I could finally take him home.
Ohh this eel rodeo was far from over... After floating the bag I dumped him and the water into a tupperware container for drip acclimating. I covered the top with a piece of acrylic to prevent him from escaping. Within moments, he started lunging towards the top, smashing his nose against the cover trying to escape. I could not believe how badly this thing wanted out, it felt like I was containing a ****ed off gremlin, minus the fur. Once acclimated, I had to dump him in a deep cooking strainer, covering it with the acrylic and finally, plopping him into the tank.
I was told that these eels usually don't eat within the first few days, sometimes weeks, when introduced to a new tank. On day 2, I offered him some krill on a feeder stick to see what would happen. He instantly took the food which was not what I was expecting but nonetheless, was relieved.
Within the first week everything was going great. He never bothered any of his tank mates and would even let the cleaner shrimp pick in his mouth for scraps after feedings. On the other hand, the fire shrimp will literally try to rip food out of his mouth as he's scarfing it down.
Around week 2 I came home one day and checked up on the tank. I couldn't find the eel anywhere. I looked in the overflow but nothing. I started looking on the floor and even under the tank stand, worried that I might find dried eel jerky but still nothing. Then I checked the sump and after a few minutes I found him..... poking out of the rock rubble... He managed to get into the over flow, swim down the pvc pipe into the filter sock, then crawl out of the filter sock and into the fuge. Absolutely relentless little creature...
Getting him out from the rock rubble was an absolute nightmare.... as you can imagine. lesson learned and I decided to cover the pvc openings with that mesh thing that comes with the veggie clips for nori. It's basically a mini version of chicken wire thats coated with plastic. The holes are large enough to let bigger debris flow through but small enough to prevent the eel from slipping through. Works like a charm. I also covered the gaps along the glass top with masking tape and poked smalls holes in it to help with gas exchange. It looks ugly but until I can find a more aesthetically pleasing solution, this will have to do. At this point I didn't want to take any chances. If you're thinking about getting a GDM, I strongly advise you make your tank escape proof before getting one. If theres a way out, they WILL find it! Wouldn't want your dog or cat eating gourmet sushi...
So onto feedings. I try to feed every 2 - 3 days. He gets a majority of krill and I'll throw in some silversides, raw shrimp pieces, or clam once or twice a week to mix it up. He'll indicate when he's hungry by starting to "hunt". He'll move about the tank, in and out of the rock looking to snack on something. Thats when I'll feed him until I feel he's had enough. Then he retreats to his favorite hole where he sticks his head out of the rock and sort of hangs out all day, until he gets hungry again.
For the most part he's left his tank mates alone. I had a purple firefish before getting the eel but it disappeared a week after he was in the tank. The firefish rarely came out of his hole and when I feed the fish, he would never go for the food. Maybe he starved, maybe the eel got him... regardless he hasn't been troublesome since introducing him, at least to my observation.
Then, about a week ago, I purchased 2 Sally lightfoot crabs. After placing them in the tank, I observed my new additions like any happy reefer would. Not a whole five minutes later, I notice the eel started "stalking" a crab. This was happening front and center in the tank, I felt like I was watching Animal Planet but in real life and without the annoying commercials.To my amazement, the eel actually snatched it and started shaking violently. Almost instantly, nassarius snails start popping out of the sand to scavenge any broken off crab legs from the thrashing. It was the first time I've seen it kill anything in the tank. I wasn't even mad though (well, maybe a little) because it was amazing to observe. The next day, the other Sally crab was gone. 2 days, later my coral banded shrimp disappears. Then, my peppermint shrimp and then 1 of my 2 cleaner shrimp.
I haven't fed him since he started chowing my tank inhabitants because I knew he'd probably be full from all the slaughtering anyway. Big mistake. Today, I woke up and saw my midas blenny with a giant bite mark by its tail. Luckily, nothing was bitten off but it still looks really bad. Poor blenny.. He's still swimming like he normally would so hopefully he'll make it through and heal up.
After the midas discovery, I decided to feed him some silversides as he was obviously hungry. The instant the first piece hit the water, the eel comes springing out of his hole with a vengeance, wolverine style. I've never seen him attack the feeding stick so hard and so fast and the first few strikes he actually missed before he landed the bite. I'm going to up his feedings to hopefully curb his hunger for my tank inhabitants. Do any of you experience increased aggression with age in your GDM or when you forget to feed yours?
Despite some of his less desirable tendencies, he is still my favorite fish. I love seeing him stick his head out of the rock with that menacing but at the same time adorable gaping mouth. They kinda look like they just told you a bad joke and are waiting for you to laugh.
For the most part he is always visible in the tank. He is far from shy and sometimes will swim out in the open, then recede to a different hole and hang out for a bit before moving around again. I actually want another one as I've read they do well in pairs. If any of you GDM owners have more than 1 in the same tank, let me know how its going!
My experience so far has been very interesting. I've read people having similar experiences with theirs and others with completely different ones. It really does come down to the individual. Do share and spare no details =)
Happy Reefing!
